houseboy
/ˈhaʊsbɔɪ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.82 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A young male domestic servant, especially in a British colony in former times.
Example Sentences
- "House servants are usually either Chinese or Tamil, the former predominating, especially in towns of any size. The domestic staff will in general consist of a houseboy (in large establishments two houseboys), a water carrier (tukang ayer), whose duties include washing dishes and preparing baths, a cook, a gardener, a chauffeur or sais, and perhaps an ayah (if Chinese, amah) or two, according to the size of the family."
- "A married man with a family of three living in a private house will require in most cases a cook, houseboy, an amah (female servant) for washing and ironing, a second amah to take care of small children or infants, and one or possibly two gardeners depending on the size of the lot. A syce (chauffeur) is optional in each individual case. Cooks, houseboys, and amahs are usually Chinese, while gardeners and chauffeurs are Malay."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈhaʊsbɔɪ/
- British English: /ˈhaʊsbɔɪ/